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June 14, 2021 4:00 am
The Daniel chapter 5, startling event took place during King Bill shelters feast.
The fingers of the human hand appeared and wrote a message on a palace wall today on Truth for Life. Alistair Begg takes us through this unusual incident shows us the lessons we can learn from him and I wrote in my notes as I head and I have a number of headings out. Perhaps tell you as I go along. My first heading was in putting it in the mouth of Belshazzar's or it's my party and I'll drink if I want to. Secondly, I wrote down quoting Luther's written by his finger, because verse five says immediately to fingers of a human hand appear heading in my notes. Even big kings need to listen to their mothers. My next heading was Belshazzar shows no respect despite his predicament. Belshazzar shows no respect despite his predicament. Then Danny was brought in before the king and the king answered and said to Daniel, you're like Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah.
I've heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems.
Now if if you can read the writings so you are not absolutely convinced that arrogance is amazing this fellow. I started off with a great display of his Majesty. He has been really generous to a quivering mass of humanity. He is now confronted by the servant of the most high God and he still arrogant he's still dismissive.
The one person who holds out the possibility of an answer for him. He continues to dismiss. In this way, we often say, don't we. Can you believe that people react and act in that way. This godlessness spirit of the age straightforward talk from Daniel is my next heading, I don't have any of your tracking with me but straightforward talk from Daniel number one. He says you can keep your stuff, but I will read the writing on the wall and then and this is part of the literary development of the story of this is that this is you do English and you do creative writing. You can learn from these Old Testament narratives because he is going to tell him, but then there is a delay in the delay is there purposefully to provide a little history lesson that is necessary, but it also creates in the literary sentence anticipation in the reader. I will give you the interpretation will get what is it I hang on a minute, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father the kingship and greatness and glory and majesty, and so long words. He says that a history is important if you would've paid attention to it. God was the one who put your father in place because he is the God who sets up kingdoms and who brings them down. He is the God Nebuchadnezzar by the end of his time acknowledges that he humbles those who walk in prying and he says, verse 19 and following him read it again for yourself and because of the greatness that he gave him all the peoples and the nations, and so on. Tremble before if you wanted to kill somebody kill them if you want to keep them alive. You kept them alive. Whatever you wanted to do if he would raise them up that would be fine or humble than that would be fine but when his heart was lifted up in this spirit was hardened so that he dealt probably.
He was brought down from his kingly throne and his glory was taken from him and then he continues along the line and in verse 23 he makes the point but you as you processor you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven and this is and this is what you've done the God.
Verse 23, in whose hand is your breath and whose are all your ways you have not honored this really is pivotal is that even though says Daniel you know all this, you haven't humbled your heart, you have simply wanted your prime pride that has been issued and sacrilege, sacrilege, displayed in the idolatry of he and his friends tried is the very heart of things from the fall of Satan to the garden of Eden and beyond. Every pastoral collapse that I have observed in my 32 years here in America. Actually, if push comes to shove, may be traced to one thing right right is the pastors decided that because he's preached that he's actually believed it and lived it in unless he has believed that unlimited than he is no right preaching better to be struck down. Then to be brought now as a result of the arrogance of his heart know you knew these things but you haven't humbled your heart you wanted your pride and then just three more from his presence.
The hand was sent verse 24 then from his presence.
This God in whose hand is your breath, whose are all your ways.
The only reason you have Sino real fluid in your knee joints. Belshazzar is earth is because God is an amazing creator. The only reason that you wake up in the morning and your eyelids open is because God normally created everything, but he sustains everything by his powerful word and the God of heaven from heaven. This hand has appeared on this writing has now been inscribed three words each used for a different weight used on a scale for when precious metals many many tech Al and Parson. This is the interpretation of the matter, not difficult to understand.
He turns the nouns and diverse numbered Wade divided numbered your days are numbered, not just your days for the days of the kingdom of God is numbered them is bringing them to an end tech Al you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting you you you just are completely on the wrong side of the equation and the your kingdom is divided and is given to the Medes and the person's narrow how much of a pause that is for breath in between verse 28 and 29. I don't know but my next heading is just a heading with nothing attaching to it was simply I know to the Belshazzar is a man of his word credit where credit is due. I don't know about you, but if I have received if I'd been through this ordeal and I brought this fellow in, and this was the best he could do and give me this kind of report I just had his head taken off if I was Bell says it just for the fun of just adjusted just as a reaction. A knee-jerk reaction? Then Belshazzar gave a, Daniel got a new outfit got a new position got a proclamation throughout the kingdom.
But then I rode on my notes. God keeps his word to and that very night. You will notice that very night. Verse 30 Belshazzar the Colby and King was killed what God said would happen happen was there time for repentance did Belshazzar in the ensuing hours, minutes, moments fall down on his face and acknowledge that God is God. We don't know but we do know that he dined when you read the ancient sources the record, there says that the Medo Persian army in its invasion directed water from the Euphrates water which ran underneath the walls and into the city. They direct it into a marshland making it possible for their soldiers to wade through the shallow water down the river bed under the wall into the city into the palace and the kill the king Belshazzar means old Bell the big deity of Babylon old Bell protect the king what an iron.
There was no protection. You see, there is no refuge from God except the refuge that is found in God. There is no way to run and hide from all we can do is run to the name of the Lord is a strong tower the righteous run into it and received once again what an encouragement for the fearful exiles.
One of my friends are saying to me the other morning. You know these are great stories but what about all the white space. What about all the stuff we don't know about all the routine and I think about that. Ever since is true, isn't it. We got the high peaks is aware of the dramatic moments of this apocalyptic but meanwhile moms and dads and grandparents and so on were going about their business. They were getting up in the morning is exiles in living as exiles and doing what he did and praying to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will God help us, help us to be true to you.
Help us to hold the line I was not to be completely undone by the pressures that are bowties. As a result of the interference of those who are our oppressors, so presumably if we had been there, we would've when we went to the equivalent of coffee in the morning, down to the local Starbucks. We will find somebody in their sin.
Did you hear about last night.
I really said last night, I did hear about last night. All the big banquet of the palace made easy just to get one of my friends he he works in their own security is not unusual and that is it. Wait a minute.
I am delusional story.
Belshazzar has or had I like you begin walking nightmare with amended they said that like anyone tell you what they said but he was he was he was a goner and and you know he's dead he's dead and some wisecracks from over the corner says well so Lonnie's dad will be another one just as bad as them.
That'll come around will still be stuck here he is all a happy fellow you noted to pick it up again have a moment to rejoice in the fight of the one guys that if some of the yard will be another one right behind are you worry you know which of course is perfectly true. And another one behind him and another one behind it in and fast-forward all the way down for these miserable gaze and now says Matthew when Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the days of Herod the king there came, wise men from the East the call, the NZ engenders the scribblers. These people I don't know what's going on where you're going. I don't know I'm going out are you following lots of snow it's up there.
Well, let's just keep going and eventually they arrive.
Hey fellas, what are you looking for I'm looking for the Kindersley King like kings and like the sound of that said Herod why don't you track him down and come back and let me know.
Focus. I like to worship him as well and furious, furious handmade of Satan seeks to destroy the work of God in its infancy by the slaughter of the innocents time Alexis John the Baptist says you think what I'm doing is good when you see this guy, I baptize with water. He baptizes with the Holy Spirit. He actually is going to do things that you have never ever imagined would take place. And Jesus is then immediately confronted by Satan in the wilderness. He is then confronted by the demons.
He is then confronted by sickness and illness and everything else. And remember what he says. If it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Of course it is by the finger of God by the very hand of God. Here he is.
See loved ones either. Jesus really is incarnate, God always noughts and if he is then he must be reckoned with.
And if he's not, then we are each engaged in the biggest religious contract. The world has ever seen. We are not just fastening on to our religious notion, which we are happy to secure for ourselves and others may do what they please. We are going to our Jewish friends and saying to them, do you know that there is an end to your story that Jesus is yes sure he is the Messiah of God, can we tell you about it. You believe he is and I believe yes we can both be right to our Muslim friends, whether we meet them in taxis or whether they are doing obstetrics for our daughters and our granddaughters we say to them.
We have so many things in common with you in terms of family and moral purity and the notion of a God, but do you know that Jesus paid the penalty for sin and that the symbol is not scales but is actually a cross broken on the feet of a triumphant and resurrected Jesus you say this isn't true. You see scales we see is a cross we can both be right to our Hindu friends when we meet them on the ski slopes or whatever else it is on the Buddhists would know God at all, and the Dalai Lama's birthday and his birthday cakes that he can heat because he can get a government big enough to cover them of each soul locates all of those people were going to them in kindness and love to say the sooner stake in our eternal destiny on the fact that Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of lords, and that makes a difference to effort our view of politics. Our view of history.
Our view of science. Our view of life effort, loved ones, I will. This is helpful to guy. I hope that we can bow down underneath this. You remember Christie if an issue remember and banging that you funny little man I used to worry that the Russians were going to fire one at us.
Those were the good things when they win the Polaris submarines were in the holy law of Scotland when the Western alliance was preserved, as it were.
When we understood what was going on. I don't worry about that anymore night is worry about what airport I'm in. What terminal I'm standing in what streetcorner Reimann what marathon I'm trying to run in you worry about that. What about North Korea. If it arms.
What about Orion, what about ISIS.
What about the horrible moral revolution that we have lived through in the last 50 years.
What about the fact that our country is upside down morally.
What he learned to read Daniel even remind yourself of what we've been seeing repetitively. Admittedly, purposefully, I'm now finishing which records from the sounds that came to my mind again this morning. That's not a rhetorical device instead of herders in our yard. Sure that's the way he closes. He says it came to mind this morning. Not well, it came to mind this morning. Is it only the bursa came to mind this morning is the verse that Byron Nelson carved on individual pieces of wood, which he gave to all the members of the United States Ryder Cup team when they went to play at the K club in Dublin and every one of them tiger and the rest were given a little piece of wood. Yet he got a Rolex watch.
They got a bunch of stuff.
There's no question about that. They had all the bit all the business, but he said he wanted them all to have this verse. Psalm 18 and verse 29 for by you. I can run against the troop and by my God I can leap over a wall know you gave it to them to turn their thoughts to the Psalms not to tell them that this was a mechanism whereby they could win the Ryder Cup because they didn't this guard.
His way is perfect word of the Lord proves true. He is a shield for all those who take refuge in him by my God I can run through a troop with God's help I can jump over a wall of some of you have any difficulty just jumping down off the wall, let alone jumping over a wall, but there is a word of encouragement in the last verse actually is to versus from Psalm 118 and I always remember this because my boss when I was in Edinburgh he give a little talk on this and it is stayed with me ever since. The psalmist says I was pushed hard so that I was falling for the Lord help me Lord is my strength and my song, and he is become my salvation. Some of us can identify with our progress. In the summer was actually here and were pushed hard were not nicely talk about what's really involved but pushed hard falling helped strengthen singing. See story of the exiles story of Molière's office are storing in a destabilized world. We are one of us invited to find refuge in the Almighty God. From today's message on Truth for Life with Alice to beg. We hope you'll keep listening. Alister's gonna be right back to close in prayer. If you have ever requested one of our recommended books, you know that we spend a lot of time put great care into selecting these books we choose resources that will supplement the teaching you hear on Truth for Life and help you grow deeper in your faith and I mention this because you can own all of the books we make available throughout the year by becoming a monthly truth part.
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Let's join with Alister in prayer. Father, thank you again for the truth of your Word and ground about which is of yourself may find a resting place in our hearts. I pray for some of us who actually are pushed hard at the moment the external vicissitudes of life. The things that are going on inside of us. Perhaps with our families. Whatever it might be Lord, we pray that we might in confidence and in childlike faith take our stand as we saying this morning. By faith we will look to the future by faith rest in your promises. The weather is now in the hours of this day they great grace be upon us all.
For we pray and try and stay on them about the pain.
Thanks for listing today on this tomorrow is will learn why familiar stories from the Old Testament, but the story of Daniel in the lion's den, often present us with some surprising challenges the Bible teaching of Alister beg is furnished by Truth for Life learning is prolific